11
The first wave of pain had been excruciating. The second was unbearable. Hunter blacked out and came to again. He was lost, unable to wake up from a nightmare, but no nightmare had ever produced sensations so real. He coughed and spit and pulled on his bonds, tensing his muscles for the next barrage. He was sure it would tear him apart.
“Psst.” The voice came from nowhere, a whispered squeak.
“Ah…?”
“Want me to get you out of here?”
Hunter blinked hard. “Z…Zeke?”
“Who are you talking to?” Senter thundered from the dais. He tilted his head back and took a long sniff. “Did you carry a virus in here, you filthy External?”
“I can’t move,” Hunter whispered. “I’m trapped.”
“You can.” Zeke’s voice zipped to and fro around him. “There’s always a trick. You just have to look for it.”
Se
